No New Friends: The Phenomenon Of Post Death Love

[dropcap]R[/dropcap]eminder, there’s no shame in not being the biggest fan of an artist. You’re also not under any moral obligation to fundamentally love every artist who ever died. Feels like that shouldn’t be a necessary reminder — except that it is.

Master P said during a long-winded Instagram post/caption that we need to lift up and celebrate the best and brightest in our culture while they’re still alive. He went on to accuse BET of showing fake love to the memory of Prodigy, who passed away last week from complications related to Sickle Cell Anemia. Let’s explore that.

Prodigy — half of Mobb Deep — was a pillar of realness that represented that lost 90s era where authenticity reigned supreme. While Prodigy has a vast catalog of content, it’s not unrealistic to assume that a significant portion of (the more casual) Hip Hop listeners love for P peaked in two very specific eras. Mobb’s classic sophomore album — specifically “Shook Ones” — and the commercial singles in the period between Infamy and Blood Money. I’ll admit that’s a hunch.

Numbers do point that way, though. The farther we from Blood Money, the less commercial impact P was able to make. His debut solo H.N.I.C went gold, but — while the two subsequent installments did manage to chart — his solo releases never received any further certifications. What happened to the love?

Like many artists who have passed before him, P had suddenly popped up on everyone’s (above the underground) radar last week After his sudden passing, with many crediting him as their ‘favourite’ rapper. It’s not a bad thing, and unfortunately an artist’s passing often spurs newfound interest in their discography. However, when a network like BET suddenly becomes the “biggest champion” of an artist they’ve all but forgotten over the past decade, it seems oddly opportunistic — if not, fake (as hell).

Much like Pac, Big, Sean P, and others we’ve lost along the way (like Phife), Prodigy is now finding himself on lots of top rappers lists, when — in actuality — he should have been there all along if that’s how you feel. The trouble is that celebration of vets like P would sure take up a lot of mental real estate that is currently is spent celebrating new and upcoming acts.

There needs to be balance; there needs to be something. Anything. Why are we the only genre that does this?We have architects who have over the way starving. WTF?

Isn’t it weird that people say “it’s about time” when Pac was inducted into the Rock-N-Roll Hall Of Fame, but couldn’t be bothered to shell out the $35 to help support the development and celebration of the Hip-Hop Hall Of Fame?

The frustration of an act like Master P is understandable, as he (while not as lyrically gifted) has made similar impacts on the culture which he is not as recognized for as he could be. I get it. You should, too.

Younger heads should do their homework, and at least try to understand P’s impact on the game. He has lots of great music for you to discover. But you don’t have to hold him up as the greatest to ever do it. It’s ok to love or rekindle a love for fallen soldiers, but dick riding the dead for good optics is unnecessary. Pause.

Riley here — father, artist, videographer, professional writer and SERIOUS hip-hop head. I'm a member of the Universal Zulu Nation, and I think everything is better on vinyl.
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Today South Florida artist CameronAirborne, drops the music video for his song “No Cuffin” featuring buzzing rapper Jackboy. In the Andrew Colton directed music video, listeners get a hazy and psychedelic visual to go along with CameronAirborne‘s catchy Summer bop.

“The beat was a collaborative track with K.E. on the Track. He laced up the beat and I got Jackboy on there for the hook too. It’s just real catchy, we shot the video for the track and it just a had kind of club or pop vibe to it. It’s definitely a Summer song and its very upbeat and kind of fast paced, it def keeps the head nodding.”

Combing elements of guitar and singing, CameronAirborne has found a lane doing his own thing combining it all with rap after performing in a band early on in his career.

“I play guitar because I had played in a band before and I ended up rapping. It gave me stage experience and the drive to want to do my own thing.” CameronAirborneexplained. “I branched out and started doing my own music and I always wrote my own poetry so transitioning to rapping was natural. I can make trap music, I can make pop catchy sounding music and I can make real lyrical stuff too. When I put out a projects I try to put out a little something for everyone to take something away from the project.”

Although most of the world has been shut down over the past few months with COVID-19, Cameron Airborne remains busy producing instrumentals and gearing up for his own studio where he will be able to record artists there.

“Im just on the independent grind, I’m opening up my own studio and that way I can make money, just recording and doing sessions,”CameronAirborneexplained. “I’ve been producing my own instrumentals and so I have a lot of music lined up and some big features tucked away for the right time to present them.”

Recently Dallas, Texas rapper Fat Yunginnand Cash Money Records are happy to announce the Pleasant Grove rapper’s signing to their iconic rap label. Pictured above with Birdmanand Ronald “Slim” Williams, this young upstart has officially inked a deal with one of the most iconic Hip-Hop/Rap labels in the history of music.

First getting notoriety for his song “Sack Up” in 2016, Fat Yunginn says he always wanted to sign with Cash Money Records and that it’s a “perfect match.”

“I grew up off Cash Money, I grew up listening to them. I ain’t gonna lie I always wanted to be on Cash Money and I always wanted to sign with them. I don’t really go off what other people say or what they do and say about Cash Money. Birdman came up talking about he was the #1 Stunna and if you listen to my flow you can hear my ooh flow fits with this brand. Sack Season / Cash Money Records. It’s a perfect match.”

Raised in Dallas’ Pleasant Grove, Fat Yunginn drew inspiration from his father’s passing and from there began to take off on the strip club scene in Dallas.

“I’m from Dallas Texas, from a hood out there called Pleasant Grove. I started doing music once my Pops passed away and I just took to music and it was just going up from there. Once I dropped Sack Up it went crazy in the strip clubs and so after that I started taking it more seriously. One night I went in the strip club and tipped a couple of females and this big DJ in Dallas named DJ Hit That began spinning it. It took off from there and I did my first paid show off that song,” Fat Yunginn said. “As far as Dallas and the surrounding areas I was able to perform Sack Up out there and I was able to build up my brand. We’re called Sack Season Ent, but we call ourselves Sack Babies. Anything that has to do with a sack of money we about that. Thats basically how they know me around here.”

“I got another song called Show My Assthats another club banger with YellaBeezy and we gonna release that one through Cash Money. I got the visual for my next track, it’s just to get my sound out there a little more and my ooh flow. Its my ad lib you can hear in a lot of my songs. Then I have another with Rylo Rodriguez and another one with Euro Gotti. I got a lot of unreleased music I can’t wait for the fans to hear it,” he added. “I can get in there and start from scratch, the ooo flow, I have fun in the studio. When I came up with the ooh flow I was just playing around people have just been gravitating towards it.”

This week Gabby and Madi serves up their rendition of K.P. and Envyi’s classic hit “Swing My Way”, with a 2020 spin by producer justdoitBRISK. The teen duo have been blazing new trails with young audiences, delivering single after single in recent months. Check out their latest, “Swing My Way” here.

Ohio’s Ill NyQuil collaborates with 10cellphones to show the world what it looks like when Ohio and North Carolina come together in their latest single “Night.” Catering to the vibe enthusiasts, “Night” is available on all platforms.